Nintendo Backpedals On Its ‘No Smartphone Apps’ Claim

For gamers, the question of whether Nintendo will/should develop titles for smartphones has been hotly debated in recent weeks — with reports suggesting either way seemingly being shot down on a daily basis.

In a reversal of a previous denial (got that?), Nintendo has now confirmed that it will use smart devices as a platform for apps and promotions, after all — but that there are currently no plans to port core titles over to Android or iOS.

During an investor briefing, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata noted that, “We feel that simply releasing our games just as they are on smart devices would not provide the best entertainment for smart devices, so we are not going to take any approach of this nature.”

He also stated that, “It is our intention to release some application on smart devices this year that is capable of attracting consumer attention and communicating the value of our entertainment offerings.”

That isn’t to say that we won’t see some of Nintendo’s flagship characters on smartphones, though.

Later on in the briefing, Iwata said that, “I have not given any restrictions to the development team, even not ruling out the possibility of making games or using our game characters. However, if you report that we will release Mario on smart devices, it would be a completely misleading statement.”

We’ll see you tomorrow for the denial of this reversal of the previous denial.